Production quotes that hold the shoot days
Pre-production, shoot and post as phases with a schedule, cutdowns as options and a deposit paid on signing.
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Production companies use QuoteCloud to quote shoots and campaigns: phases as price-table sections with subtotals, crew, talent and licences as lines, cutdowns and stills as optional rows, the schedule as a Gantt chart (Business plan), and a deposit paid on signing through Stripe or PayPal to lock in the shoot days.
A production quote from a fictional company, Lanternfish Films, drawn as a clapperboard for the Cold Brew Tonic launch film. The scene field steps through the phases while a six-week schedule fills in below: pre-production $5,600, shoot $18,100, post-production $9,300 and deliverables $1,800. With the social cutdown pack the estimate is $36,400 before tax and $40,040.00 including tax, and a 40% deposit of $16,016.00 is paid to hold the shoot days.
A production estimate, page by page
Lanternfish Films' quote to the agency for the Pelorus launch film: four pages from one production template, the same for every job.
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Lanternfish FilmsProduction quote LF-Q-0318 Sample · fictional production company
Production quote
Cold Brew Tonic launch film
A two-day shoot on the coast for a 30-second launch film, with 15 and 6-second versions for radio-adjacent digital, social and the roadside screens.
Mood board
Golden hour on the headland One camera, tight crew Pack shot on white
Cover & mood board
The idea before the numbers
The cover, then a mood board in the gallery block: the look you're going for, so the agency signs off the approach as well as the price.
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Lanternfish FilmsProduction quote LF-Q-0318 Sample · fictional production company
Production estimate
Item Qty Rate Amount Pre-production $5,600 Concept refinement & storyboardFrom the agency's approved script1 stage $3,200 $3,200.00 Casting & location scoutingTwo coastal locations, permits included1 stage $2,400 $2,400.00 Shoot $18,100 Shoot daysDirector, DOP, crew of six, camera & lighting package2 days $7,800 $15,600.00 TalentTwo actors, 12-month online & broadcast usage2 actors $1,250 $2,500.00 Post-production $9,300 Edit, colour grade & sound mixTwo rounds of changes1 stage $6,400 $6,400.00 Music licence12 months, online & broadcast1 licence $2,900 $2,900.00 Deliverables $1,800 30s, 15s and 6s versionsBroadcast and web masters1 set $1,800 $1,800.00 Add-ons Tick to add 1 pack $1,600 $1,600.00 1 set $1,200 $1,200.00 - Subtotal
- $36,400.00
- Tax (10%)
- $3,640.00
- Total
- $40,040.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- Deposit on signing to hold the shoot days (40%)
- $16,016.00
Estimate
Phases with their own subtotals
Pre-production, shoot, post and deliverables as sections, with crew, talent usage and the music licence as lines. Cutdowns and stills sit underneath as options.
Price tables -
Lanternfish FilmsProduction quote LF-Q-0318 Sample · fictional production company
Production schedule
StageW1W2W3W4W5W6Storyboard Week 1 to 2Casting & locations Week 2 to 3Pre-production meeting Week 3Shoot Week 4 to 4Edit & grade Week 4 to 5Sound & music Week 5 to 5Masters delivered Week 6Schedule
The schedule, with the shoot and delivery dates
Six weeks on a Gantt chart: storyboard, casting, the pre-production meeting, two shoot days, edit, sound and the delivery milestone. Your plan, drawn in the document (Business).
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Lanternfish FilmsProduction quote LF-Q-0318 Sample · fictional production company
Approve the estimate and hold the shoot days
Tess Holloway · Media buyer, Brolga Media Partners
Signed online · Fri 23 Oct, 11:20 am
Deposit on signing to hold the shoot days (40%)
$16,016.00
Paid via StripePay with card or PayPal
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Activity
- Estimate openedTess Holloway
- Social cutdown pack added+$1,760.00 inc. tax
- Signed by Tess HollowayCertificate of authenticity attached
- Deposit paid on signing$16,016.00 via Stripe
Sign & deposit
Signed, and the shoot days held
The agency's producer signs and pays the 40% deposit on signing. The activity shows the cutdown pack added before signing. The balance is your own invoice.
Cutdowns and stills as options, not three versions
Agencies ask for the film with and without the extras. Put the social cutdown pack and the behind-the-scenes stills under the estimate as optional lines, and the agency ticks what the client wants.
The phase subtotals, tax, total and the deposit follow every tick, so the version that gets signed is the one you'll make.
- Phases as sections with subtotals
- Options the agency ticks
- A deposit as a percentage or a fixed amount
Price tables and payments: Essentials and up
Taking payments on signingProduction estimate
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-production | $5,600 | ||
Concept refinement & storyboardFrom the agency's approved script
|
1 stage | $3,200 | $3,200.00 |
Casting & location scoutingTwo coastal locations, permits included
|
1 stage | $2,400 | $2,400.00 |
| Shoot | $18,100 | ||
Shoot daysDirector, DOP, crew of six, camera & lighting package
|
2 days | $7,800 | $15,600.00 |
TalentTwo actors, 12-month online & broadcast usage
|
2 actors | $1,250 | $2,500.00 |
| Post-production | $9,300 | ||
Edit, colour grade & sound mixTwo rounds of changes
|
1 stage | $6,400 | $6,400.00 |
Music licence12 months, online & broadcast
|
1 licence | $2,900 | $2,900.00 |
| Deliverables | $1,800 | ||
30s, 15s and 6s versionsBroadcast and web masters
|
1 set | $1,800 | $1,800.00 |
| Add-ons Tick to add | |||
| 1 pack | $1,600 | $1,600.00 | |
| 1 set | $1,200 | $1,200.00 | |
- Subtotal
- $36,400.00
- Tax (10%)
- $3,640.00
- Total
- $40,040.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
- Deposit on signing to hold the shoot days (40%)
- $16,016.00
What a production quote has to spell out
The lines and clauses that stop arguments later. Each lives in your template once, so every producer's quote says it the same way.
Talent and usage
How many actors, for which media and for how long. A line note such as "12-month online & broadcast usage" keeps the rights in the price.
Music and licences
The licence term and media on its own line, so a longer usage period is a visible change, not a surprise.
Rounds of changes
How many rounds of edits are included. Further rounds go into a revised version the agency signs again.
Overtime and weather
What happens if the shoot runs over or the weather turns. A clause in your locked terms block (Business), not a footnote.
Deliverables
Every version and format: 30, 15 and 6 seconds, broadcast and web masters, vertical cutdowns.
Deposit and balance
The deposit to hold the shoot days is paid on signing in QuoteCloud. The balance is your own invoice on delivery.
Send your next production estimate from QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us your current estimate and we'll convert one template for you during the trial.
The agency's changes, as a revised version
When the agency comes back with a second actor and a question about stills, revise the last version instead of starting again. The new version goes out for signature, and the first one stays in the history.
Comments on the quote keep the agency's questions and your answers beside the lines they're about.
- Revise Last Version
- Every version kept, newest first
- Comments and replies on the document
Version history: Business plan
Changes & revised bookingsVersion historyVersion history: Business plan
- Version 2Agency's changes: a second actor, and the social cutdown pack and stills offered as options. Shoot days unchanged.Thu 22 Oct · Noah Pettit, producer · Signed · deposit paid
- Version 1First estimate: one actor, 30s and 15s versions only.Tue 20 Oct · Noah Pettit, producer · Commented on by the agency
Activity
- Estimate openedTess Holloway
- Social cutdown pack added+$1,760.00 inc. tax
- Signed by Tess HollowayCertificate of authenticity attached
- Deposit paid on signing$16,016.00 via Stripe
From the agency's brief to held shoot days
How a producer quotes a shoot from one template and confirms the days with a deposit.
Pick the template
Start from your production estimate template for a TVC, a social shoot or a stills day.
Price the phases
Fill in pre-production, shoot, post and deliverables, with talent usage and licences as their own lines.
Add the options
Put cutdowns, stills and extra versions underneath as optional lines.
Plan the schedule
Draw the schedule in the Gantt chart block, with the shoot and delivery as milestones (Business).
Send and hold the days
Set a 40% deposit and an expiry on the held days, then send to the agency to sign and pay.
Production quote questions, answered
Can I send a video production quote in QuoteCloud?
Yes. Build a production template with phases as price-table sections, each with its own subtotal: pre-production, shoot, post and deliverables. Talent, licences and equipment go in as lines with notes. Add a mood board with the gallery block and the schedule with the Gantt chart block on the Business plan.
How do I offer cutdowns or extra versions?
As optional lines below the estimate, or as a single-choice group when the agency must pick one. The agency ticks what the client wants and the totals and deposit update in the document, so you send one quote rather than three versions of it.
Can a deposit hold the shoot days?
Yes. Set a deposit as a percentage or a fixed amount and the agency pays it on signing through your Stripe or PayPal account. Payments are on the Essentials plan and up. The balance is your own invoice; QuoteCloud doesn't run progress billing or instalments.
What happens when the agency changes the brief?
Revise the last version, change the lines and send it for signature again. On the Business plan, version history keeps every earlier version. Comments on the document hold the agency's questions and your answers beside the lines they're about.
Does QuoteCloud book crew or track licences?
No. QuoteCloud quotes the job and gets it signed and the deposit paid. It doesn't schedule crew, make call sheets, or track usage rights and licence expiry. Write the usage terms into the quote so they're part of what the agency signs.
Can the agency's client see the quote too?
Yes, if you add them. Add the agency's producer and the advertiser as signers and each gets their own signature block. Or keep it between you and the agency, and the agency shares a PDF with their client. PDF export is on the Starter plan and up.
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Every page of the QuoteCloud advertising & media microsite.
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- Signing & deposits for new advertisersAdvertiser and agency sign in their own browsers, and a deposit or prepayment is paid by card or PayPal on signing.
- Season & upfront packages, bulk-sentNext season's packages sent to every advertiser as their own copy, with an expiry date and a list of who opened and accepted.
- CRM, traffic & accounting integrationsYour CRM, booking or traffic sheet and accounts through Zapier, Make or the API, with Pipedrive, Xero and QuickBooks native on Business.
- Advertising proposal templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for advertising proposals, social and PPC campaigns, and editorial-style sales quotes.
- QuoteCloud implementation for media sellersYour rate card in the catalogue, a template per document type, discount rules set up and the sales team trained.
- FAQAnswers to the questions media owners, agencies, production companies and sponsorship sellers ask most.
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